@ks19019

The lines I chose from Othello is Act 3, Scene 3, lines 368-378. The character I played was Iago. Tone and inflection play a huge part in understanding not only the surface text and what is actually being said,

Katie: I think you make some great points in this essay. My only comment is to expand your ideas and be more detailed. Also, I would love to read the sources you used in your writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of your writing!

Since President Donald Trump called himself a nationalist at a rally in Houston, Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are wondering about what this self-identification means for the President’s p

Abel,
This is a very interesting question as well as important. Everyone deserves the right to a great education, no matter their economic status or situation. Maybe look at other points of view on education- different countries and school systems- to help form your ideas.

Johnna,
I totally agree with your ideas on immigration and the American Dream. Many native born Americans take for granted the opportunity they are given. Immigrants leave everything behind to search for a better life, and they see America as a shining land of opportunity. Your arguments are very well founded and have a lot of research to back…[Read more]

Britney,
I really liked the ideas you put forward in this piece. Your discussion about respectful relationships is something that everyone can relate to. I loved the last line: “All humans are different but we all want one thing, and that is respect.” I think the ideas that you wrote here are really great and say a lot about who you are and what…[Read more]

Before reading these articles, I already felt like the minimum wage needed to be raised, but now I feel even more strongly about it. The first article is titled “20 years of government data says raising the m

This is a really interesting piece, Clara. I enjoyed how you presented both sides of the argument and gave them equal weight. I especially liked when you said “… it is only an industry that benefits attorneys and criminals meanwhile taking taxpayers dollars.” The thought of the death penalty benefiting lawyers and taking taxpayers’ money is…[Read more]

I really liked your take on both sides of the issue but I think you should put a little more information on what net neutrality is and why people should care about it. What you have is really well written but I think a few more sentences about net neutrality would really strengthen this piece.

In recent years, there has been an increase in support for decriminalizing sex work. In 2015, 44% of people thought sex work should be decriminalized, due to the growing desensitization towards it. Many people

I agree with your ideas in the sense that you support the argument based off of sex trafficking. Many of the people in the sex work business are often forced into it with no choice but to make it their job. You stated a well thought out observation of the two main perspectives.

I really like the argument that you’re building against the legalization of prostitution. Maybe to help support your argument you should look into countries who have legalized it and the issues that their workers are facing. Overall it’s very well written!

It’s interesting to see this take on prostitution. In today’s world, we have begun to romanticize sex work, as previously said, and it’s difficult to see how it’s negatively affecting the ones who are doing it. Another arguement to bring into this is why not decriminalize it while offering resources and support to the women who are negatively affected by it? Changing the laws and the way we handle things in terms of prostitution for the common good. Is there even a way to do that?

I agree that people should not be forced into sex work. Sex trafficking is wrong and should not exist in our country. However, many of the unpleasant sides of prostitution come from the fact that it is illegal and unregulated. If prostitution were legal, it would be heavily regulated by the government. Criminals would no longer be in charge of prostitution business and it would be much safer. The fact that it is illegal does not stop people from trafficking sex workers, and if it were legalized the government could do more to prevent violence and non-consenting sex workers.

About us

This is a youth-powered social network that was started in 2003 by a group of teachers from local sites of the National Writing Project.

We merged several earlier blogging projects. We have found that there are many advantages to bringing students together in one site that lives beyond any particular class. It's easier for individual students to read and write about their own passions, to connect with other students, comment on each other's work, and create multimedia posts for each other. Further, it's been exciting for us to pool our knowledge about curriculum, connected learning, and digital literacies.

If being part of such a community makes sense to you, we invite you to join us. We welcome all youth and any teacher interested in having students publish online and participate in the give and take of a social network like Youth Voices.